Trolley-harp.



YATENTED SEPT. 13, 1904.

E. D. ROCKWELL. TRIJLY HARP.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.13.1904A 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

2f/Messes;

"PATENTED SEPT. 13, 1904.

B. D.- ROGKWBLL. TROLLEY HARP. APPLIUATION FILED `]IAN.13, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

Messes."

UNTTnD STATES Patented September 13, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD D.` ROCKWELL, OF BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE LIBERTYBELL COMPANY, OF BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORA- TION OF CONNECTICUT.

TROLLEY-HARP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 770,113, datedSeptember 13, 1904.

Application led January 13, 1904. Serial No, 183,902. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, EDWARD D. RooKwELL, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing at Bristol, in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTrolley- Harps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to trolley-harps, and has for its object theprovision of an improved device of this character so constructed thatthe trolley-wheel and its shaft will be capable of a swivel movementwith relation to the harp, in combination with means comprising a singlemember for preventing the accidental displacement of said trolley-wheel.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in thedetailed description which now follows.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal verticalsection of the trolleyharp constructed in accordance with the invention.Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a portion of said trolley-harp. Fig. 3 isa detail view of a yoke hereinafter described. Fig. 1 is a transversevertical section of the trolleywheel and its shaft. Fig. 5 is alongitudinal vertical section of a modifiedrform of the device. Fig. 6is an inverted plan view of a portion of the harp, illustrating a pairof springpressed retaining-levers hereinafter described. Fig. 7 is aside elevation of a portion of an extension carried by the yoke shown inFig. 5, and Fig. 8 is a detail perspective View of one of thespring-pressed levers shown in Fig. 6.

Like numerals designate similar parts in all of the figures of thedrawings.

In both forms of the device the numeral 5 indicates a trolley-harpprovided with a bore 6, in which is secured a rod 7 by pins '8 and 9.This rod may be continued to form a trolleypole or it may be inserted inthe bore of a hollow trolley-pole, as desired. Mounted in ways 10 and11, formed inthe forks of the harp, are bearing-blocks 12 and 13.Bearingblock 12 is formed integral with the trolley- `wheel shaft 14, ina bore 15 of which is mounted a spring 16, which bears against a plug17,

having an extension 13, which in turn bears against the inner' wall 13'of bearing-block 13, said bearing-block being recessed at 19 to receivethe end of the trolley-wheel shaft 14. To retain the plug 17 in the boreof the trolley-wheel shaft 111, the end of said shaft is spun over, asat 20. An eye 21 is cast upon the harp, to which a trolley-rope may besecured.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2, and the numeral 22 designates a yoke orfork comprising the base 22 and the upturned arms 223. An extension 23of said yoke passes through the base of the harp, which is recessed, asat 24, for the reception of'a spring 25, which encircles said extensionand serves to hold the yoke in its elevated position.` A knob or handle26 is threaded upon the end of extension 23 to enable the operator towithdraw the arms 223 from the paths of bearing-blocks 12 and 13 whendesired. A split pin 27 passes through extension 23 and limits theupward movement of the yoke. A guide for the yoke is provided bythe ribs28 and 29, between which the arms 223 lie.

Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8 illustrate a modification of the means forpreventing the accidental displacement of the bearing-blocks, said meansv comprising a yoke 30, having the upturned arms 30 and the extension302, enlarged at its lower endV and having formed therein cuplikerecesses 31, adapted to be engaged by bosses 32, formed upon the outerends of levers 33, pivoted loosely upon a lug 34, formed upon the baseof the harp. A spring 35 forces the inner ends of these levers apart,and consequently presses the bosses 32 into the cup-like recesses 31 tothereby hold the yoke 30in its elevated position.

The operation of the device is as follows: When the car is passingaround a curve or from a straight line to a diverging line, the loosemounting of the bearing-blocks 12 and 13 in the Ways 10 and 11 permitsthe trolleywheel to twist in the forks of the harp, one of thebearing-blocks remaining at the rear end of its way and the otherbearing-block riding forward in its way until it abuts against one orthe other of the arms of the yoke, as will be readily understood. Sincethe trolley-wheel shaft is formed integral with the bearing-block 12,said shaft is thereby held against rotation.

In trolley-harps now in use, in which the trolley-wheel-shaft bearingshave been loosely mounted in ways thereof, it has been found that thejolting of the car and the movement of the parts when the car goesaround acurve causes arcing to result and the trolley-wheel and itsbearings are so badly burned as to be useless. To prevent this and toinsure acontinuous contact, the arrangement of parts shown in Fig. l isprovided. As thetrolleywheel assumes various angles with the ways andthe bearing-blocks move in or out along said ways the spring 16, actingagainst plug 17, always forces the bearing-blocks into contact with thewalls of their ways.

When the various parts of an electric-railway system are coated with iceand snow, almost continuous arcing results and the trolleywheels areoften so badly burned that it is necessary to remove them and substituteothers therefor. The trolley-harp herein shown and described is soconstructed that this may read-A ily be done. When it is desired toremove an old wheel and substitute another therefor', knob 26 is graspedbythe operator and the yoke 22 drawn downwardly against the tension ofspring 25 until the upper ends of the arms 223 of said yoke arewithdrawn from the path of the bearing-blocks. Extension 23 of the yokeis notched, as at 23', said notch being adapted to engage the edge ofwall 24J,

which forms the bottom of recess 24:, to hold the yoke in its retractedposition while the new wheel is being inserted in the ways of the harp.The yoke is then released and the spring 25 forces it into the positionshown in Fig. 1 to thereby prevent the accidental displacement ofthe'trolley-wheel from the ways. Referring now to the modified form ofthe device illustrated in Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8, the yoke 30 is normallyheld in the position illustrated in Fig. 5 by the levers 33, and when itis desired to insert a new wheel in the ways of the harp the inner endsof said levers are pressed together, which serves to withdraw the bosses32 from the recesses 31 and permits said yoke to drop from the path ofthe bearing-blocks. The extension 302 of the yoke tapers and is largerat its lower end than at its junction with said yoke. By virtue of'thisconstruction said yoke is less likely to become jammed by ice or snowthan if said extension were of equal thickness throughout its length.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that this inventionembodies a trolleyharp so constructed that the trolley-wheel may bereadily removed therefrom or inserted therein when desired, and willwhen mounted in the ways have a swivel movement with relation thereto tothereby accommodate itself to the direction of the trolley-wire withrelation to the car in going around curves or in passing from a straightto a diverging track. It will also be seen that means are vprovided forinsuring a continuous contact between the trolley-wheel-shaft bearingsand the harp and that means comprising a single element have been shownand described for preventing the accidental displacement of saidtrolley-wheel.

While the elements shown and described are' well adapted to serve thepurposes for which they are intended, it is to be understood thatchanges may be made in the details thereof if desired.

1. The c0mbination,with a trolley-harp having ways, of trolley-wheelbearing-blocks mounted in said ways, a stop member adapted to be throwninto or from the path of said blocks and means for locking said memberin its retracted position.

2. The c0mbination,with atrolley-harp having ways open at one end, of aspring-actuated yoke normally closing the open ends of said ways andmeans for locking said yoke in its retracted position.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD D. ROGKWELL.

Witnesses:

LILLIAN WEIsNER, FRANK Gr. CAMPBELL.

